Cable ends

Hello all,

While I am currently putting metallic caps on the ends of my cables, I
am wondering if there would not be a more permanent solution, that would
keep the wires together while still allowing me to remove the cable from
its housing without cutting it.

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Bicycly,

--
Tanguy

On Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 10:24:06 AM UTC-7, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
Hello all,

While I am currently putting metallic caps on the ends of my cables, I
am wondering if there would not be a more permanent solution, that would
keep the wires together while still allowing me to remove the cable from
its housing without cutting it.

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Bicycly,

No solution apart from soldering the cable end would really be any more "permanent" than a metal cap, assuming you give the cap a good crimp. You could try some Crazy Glue or a dab of silicone. I think caps are fine and have used nothing else except way back when I used to solder the ends, back when I was content wasting my time to get the most beautiful installation possible.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 10/1/2020 10:24 AM, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
Hello all,

While I am currently putting metallic caps on the ends of my cables, I
am wondering if there would not be a more permanent solution, that would
keep the wires together while still allowing me to remove the cable from
its housing without cutting it.

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Bicycly,


You can use some heat shrinkable tubing. Easy to peel off. But you'll
need a heat gun or some way to heat it up enough to shrink. You can use
a butane lighter if you're careful.

You don't need electricity to solder. You can use a butane or propane
torch like a culinary torch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L8YPYQK. Be
sure to use flux on the cable end or the solder probably won't flow
properly.

You could try dipping the ends in plastic dip, though that stuff isn't
cheap https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZN1T16.

On Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 10:44:55 AM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 10/1/2020 10:24 AM, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
Hello all,

While I am currently putting metallic caps on the ends of my cables, I
am wondering if there would not be a more permanent solution, that would
keep the wires together while still allowing me to remove the cable from
its housing without cutting it.

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Bicycly,

You can use some heat shrinkable tubing. Easy to peel off. But you'll
need a heat gun or some way to heat it up enough to shrink. You can use
a butane lighter if you're careful.

You don't need electricity to solder. You can use a butane or propane
torch like a culinary torch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L8YPYQK. Be
sure to use flux on the cable end or the solder probably won't flow
properly.

You could try dipping the ends in plastic dip, though that stuff isn't
cheap https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZN1T16.
Heat shrink tubing won't work. It slides right off.

Op donderdag 1 oktober 2020 om 19:24:06 UTC+2 schreef Tanguy Ortolo:
Hello all,

While I am currently putting metallic caps on the ends of my cables, I
am wondering if there would not be a more permanent solution, that would
keep the wires together while still allowing me to remove the cable from
its housing without cutting it.

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Bicycly,

--
Tanguy

Even if you are using the 'mouse condoms' you can remove them without cutting the cable. When installing them carefully pinch them with a side cutter onto the cable on two places. When you want to remove them take hold of them carefully with pliers and twist with the winding directions of the strands while pulling. It is easy and it doesn't damage the cable. If a strand come loose from his brothers twist the cable between your finger in the winding direction of the strands. Never understood the need of soldering, glue or whatever.

Lou

On 10/1/2020 1:24 PM, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
Hello all,

While I am currently putting metallic caps on the ends of my cables, I
am wondering if there would not be a more permanent solution, that would
keep the wires together while still allowing me to remove the cable from
its housing without cutting it.

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Back when I used galvanized cables I occasionally soldered the ends. To
me, the benefit over caps was the end strands stayed together if I
pulled a cable to lubricate it, then fed it back in. With caps,
sometimes a strand would go astray and stick out, snagging on reentry.

But now I use stainless steel cables that are more difficult to solder.
And my cables are lined. And I now have proper cable cutters that don't
tend to squash the cut end flat and cause stray strands.

I think I tried cyanoacrylate glue once, but I now use the metal caps.
Like Lou said, they are reusable. I think they're fine.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 10/1/2020 12:24 PM, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
Hello all,

While I am currently putting metallic caps on the ends of my cables, I
am wondering if there would not be a more permanent solution, that would
keep the wires together while still allowing me to remove the cable from
its housing without cutting it.

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Bicycly,

If you plan for that, leave it a little longer than usual
and snip it just ahead of the aluminum crimp. The crimps
work well, quick to install, are cheap and have no downside.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

For your reference, records indicate that
Tanguy Ortolo wrote:

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Solder can usually be melted by a regular butane lighter, and definitely by a torch-style one.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Heat shrink tubing could also work well.

--
"Also . . . I can kill you with my brain."
River Tam, Trash, Firefly

On 10/1/2020 3:12 PM, Doc O'Leary wrote:
For your reference, records indicate that
Tanguy Ortolo wrote:

I know that soldering the cable end is a known solution, but I have no
iron, and no electricity in the basement where I keep my bicycle.

Solder can usually be melted by a regular butane lighter, and definitely by a torch-style one.

Have anyone tried other solution, such as tape, cyanoacrylate or epoxy
perhaps ? I would give them a try, but maybe I could benefit from past
experience…

Heat shrink tubing could also work well.


In theory maybe.
In practice, both have severe limitations and are
ineffective (heat shrink) or impractical (silver braze on
stainless wire).

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Here are some reusable ones...

https://www.modernbike.com/yokozuna-...t---blue--pair